Treaty of London (1518)

The Treaty of London of October 1518 was a non-aggression pact between the major European nations. The signatories were Burgundy, France, England, the Holy Roman Empire, the Habsburg Netherlands, the Papal States, and Spain, all of whom agreed not to attack one another and to come to the aid of any that were under attack. The treaty was designed by Cardinal Thomas Wolsey and came to be signed in London; the treaty was signed in response to the rising power of the Ottoman Empire, which was encroaching into the Balkans.

King Henry VIII of England was reluctant to sign a treaty with his cousin, King Francis I of France, as he had demanded that England go to war with France over the murder of his uncle, the ambassador to Urbino, earlier that year. Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas More persuaded him that a treaty with humanist principles, creating a pan-European institution, would bring King Henry more prestige than fighting a war that would cost money, and King Henry finally decided to sign the treaty. However, he was disgusted by King Francis' arrogance, leading to the two entering a wrestling match, as Henry wanted to prove that not all of France's wrestlers were better than England's (unfortunately, Henry lost). In 1521, King Henry decided to go against his treaty with France by instead allying with Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Spain, as England's powerful Royal Navy and the massive Habsburg empire would be unstoppable together. This would lead to war between France and the Anglo-Habsburg alliance in the Italian War of 1521-26, and the Anglo-Habsburg alliance would later be tried by King Henry's divorce from Charles' aunt, Catherine of Aragon.